A year in Finland (Suomi)

I was sitting by the window on the 12th row, feeling sleepy and terribly tired, the plane had started its descent, and PA system was spurting the monotone. I could see green cover and water bodies, captain had switched on the camera and TV was streaming live pictures of what was just beneath the plane. After a while the runway was in sight, the plane touched it with a thud and then started taxing. The day was 4th October, 2004 and I had just landed in Finland.

I wasn’t aware of the date but when I was talking to my sister in evening she mentioned it for some reason and then it dawned on me that I have completed a year in Finland. It is after a long time that I had been in one city , lived in the same house and worked in the same office for a year and don’t know when it will be next time.

Past one year was full of surprises for me, from having sunless days in November to white nights in May, walked on the streets in minus 30C in winter and felt hot in 22C in summer. I have slipped on snow covered streets, walked on frozen lakes, felt an ice cream to be warm, and been in parties where people drank for twelve hours. I have eaten strawberry pancake in country market, salted Salmon by side of lake and in McDonald in a 14th century old town.

It was quite and eventful year and I shall not forget this year in my whole life. Lot of things happened which were not pleasant but guess this is life! I have grown wise by one year and learnt lot of things. I know that you should not get attached to anything in this world nor dislike anything, you may never know when you have to let go something you like and when you will have to live with something you don’t like. We should be prepared to accept whatever comes by, nothing is unexpected or evitable in this world, trust, honesty, gratitude, integrity are all synonym of 'surreal'. One should never feel negative for there are worst things to happen in life (allow me a bit of my black humor please ...)


Let me end with this beautiful quote

"When one find's oneself in a hole of one's own making, it is a good time to examine the quality of the workmanship" --John Renmerde